Very few gaming franchises have endured for as long as theTomb Raiderseries. Since the release of the firstTomb Raidergame in 1996, Lara Croft has become an iconic staple of both gaming and pop culture. With her daredevil nature and her willingness to go to the ends of the earth to find rare artifacts, it is hard to not fall in love with Lara. That is not the only reason gamers continually flood towards theTomb Raiderseries. The games also provide adrenaline-raising action and unforgettable adventures by taking players to the most exotic locations.
The success of theTomb Raiderreboot trilogy demonstrates that Lara’s popularity in gaming is not going to wane any time soon. As expected, there have been rumors floating around that anewTomb Raidergame is in the works. If Square Enix does grace the world with a newTomb Raidergame, there are a few things that should be learned from theTomb Raiderreboot trilogy.
RELATED:How Shadow of the Tomb Raider Reveals Lara Croft’s Darker Side
A New Tomb Raider Game Should Not Repeat Mistakes
Tomb Raider(2013) was a startlingly goodbeginning to the reboot of the series, which provides an in-depth introduction to Lara Croft’s story for newcomers, while bringing enough new elements for series veterans. The game was developed by Crystal Dynamics, and it was released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 before being ported to PS4 and Xbox One in 2014.
The game begins withLara as a young and naive explorerwho is on the hunt for the kingdom of Yamatai. After a terrible storm, Lara finds herself stranded on the island just off the coast of Japan. Lara must quickly learn to sharpen her survival skills and be brutal against any foes she comes across, because the island is far from peaceful, and there are mysterious forces afoot.
Though the game is beautiful and tells an enthralling story, it does not get everything right. Most notably, the game features many QTEs which can be frustrating to complete. Although they do make certain events more intense, they can feel as though they take away agency from players and reduce key moments to timed button presses. While it would not be awful fora newTomb Raidergameto include QTEs, they should certainly be kept to a bare minimum.
By the time the third game in theTomb Raiderreboot trilogy rolled around, the series had overcome most of the mistakes made by previous titles. However, there is a new problem that’s popped up.Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s hardest difficulty, titled Deadly Obsession, is badly balanced. Much of the difficulty does not come from the enemy encounters, but instead, from how distant save points are from each other. Ina game likeShadow of the Tomb Raider, where a misaimed jump can have Lara falling to her doom, it can make certain sections of the game feel unfair instead of difficult. A newTomb Raidergame should ensure that all difficulty modes are well-balanced.
A New Tomb Raider Needs Its Most Successful Aspects
Since 2013, theTomb Raidergames have been getting increasingly more cinematic. By the third game, players are being treated to entire apocalyptic scenes with floods and the destruction of large buildings. Consequently,Shadow of the Tomb Raideris one of the most expensive gamesever made. FutureTomb Raidergames should not ease up on the cinematic elements, as they help to tell Lara’s epic story, and complement the action well. Part of the joy of playingTomb Raidergames comes from seeing the exotic locations that Lara travels to and taking in the beautiful scenery. Cutscenes provide further opportunities to see the epic settings that Lara will be exploring.
Just as cinematic elements gradually improved with each entry in theTomb Raiderreboot trilogy, so too did the stealth gameplay elements. ByShadow of the Tomb Raider, Laracan smear mud all over herself to blend in with walls and foliage. The mud also helps her avoid the heat-detecting goggles worn by members of Trinity who are out to kill Lara.
Stealth offers an alternative way to deal with enemy encounters. Instead of going in guns-blazing, players can take the slow and steady approach, carefully taking out enemies one by one while saving on ammunition. Not only should a newTomb Raidergame feature stealth elements, but it should also improve on the foundation laid down by previous games. Silenced guns, outfits that improve stealth, the ability to lay down hidden traps, and more should all be on the table.
A newTomb Raidergame has the potentialto cement Lara’s position as the queen of gaming. TheTomb Raiderreboot trilogy experimented with plenty of gameplay elements. If the developers of a newTomb Raidergame can ascertain which elements worked and which did not, the nextTomb Raidercould be the best in the long series.
Shadow of the Tomb Raideris available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
MORE:18 Amazing Tomb Raider Mods That Make The Games Even Better
